Tallahassee Magazine hosted the Best of Tallahassee awards on Wednesday, showcasing the best businesses in Tallahassee for 2019. The top-shelf event was held at the University Center Club.
For 21 years, the annual Best of Tallahassee event has celebrated the best of the best as voted by Tallahassee Magazine’s readers.
The event included alcoholic beverages, many combinations of hors d’ oeuvres and live music by Top Shelf Band, Tallahassee’s 2019 Best of Tallahassee band. Many people from different businesses and organizations were present to celebrate the event as well as represent their business as runner-ups in hope of receiving the ultimate award, the best.
Businesses are broken up into different categories and revisited each year from food and beverage, service providers, shopping, entertainment and community. The readers of Tallahassee Magazine chose the winners.
For food and beverage, places like Southern Seafood took home best seafood market, which beat out Capital Seafood Market. Sage restaurant took home best fine dining restaurant, which beat out Cypress Restaurant. Food Glorious Food took home best dessert restaurant, which beat out the French pastry shop, Au Peche Mignon. Coosh’s took home best Cajun restaurant, which beat out wild Cajun Seafood and Marie Livington’s beat out luxury Italian steakhouse, Il Lusso, to name a few winners.
The prestigious event also included the support of sponsors like Ox Bottom animal hospital, Thomas Howell Ferguson, University Center Club, John Gandy Events, Live in Tallahassee, iHeart Radio, Thompson Crawford and Smiley, Joe Manausa Real Estate and Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A. CPAs.
The event also sparked opportunity for businesses to network with each other in the midst of bringing in new clientele. Bringing in new clientele to a business equals more money and a chance to get the word out about the business.
At the end of the event — or after the winner was showcased on the big screen — winners could go and claim their trophies as well as take pictures on the red carpet. The rest of the results will be published in the November/December issue of Tallahassee Magazine. The runner-ups didn’t get the chance to raise the trophy like the winners did, but maybe next year.
Tallahassee Magazine is owned by Rowland Publishing, which is also home to 850 Business Magazine, Emerald Coast Magazine and Northwest Florida Weddings Magazine.